A motion to approve $687,000 in funding for London’s Ark Aid Street Mission to extend its emergency winter shelter beds has been approved by a city council committee.
The Council’s strategic priorities and policy committee voted unanimously on Tuesday to pull the cash from a city reserve fund and give it to Ark Aid, which will allow the provider to keep 120 beds open at four city locations until the end of July.
Councillors originally voted in November of last year to provide $3 million as part of the city’s cold weather homelessness response to provide the beds until May 31.
Ark Aid executive director Sarah Campbell says she’s pleased to see the funding extended.
“It gives us a runway to talk about what’s most critical, and that is, what is the plan for services year-round for the more than 2000 people living on the streets of London,” Campbell said shortly after the vote.
“It’s not a solution that just Ark Aid can bring and so I’m hopeful that we can have a collaborative conversation work with civic administration and come back before the end of July.”
City Staff will also be working with Ark Aid to develop a year-round strategy for overnight beds. Campbell says she sees the next steps as a “homework assignment.”
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“We’re looking at $6 million in costs, we were funded $4.2 million for six months, we’re able to reduce that cost by 25% and still deliver 110 spaces at night, as well as our day services,” she said. “It’s a large amount of service. It’s not a cheap price tag, but it is significant in terms of its impact.”
Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis, who originally put forward the motion along with Mayor Josh Morgan, says the results are in the metrics.
“Ark Aid is the only organization that’s provided me the metrics to say this is how many people we’re serving, this is how many people we have reconnected and moved back in with family members,” Lewis said during the meeting.
“(Ark Aid) has been able to help people get back into the workforce, reconnect with jobs. That is where I want to see this strategy going. I’m not looking for more drop in. I’m looking for more life changing.”
Lewis added that he was happy to have been proven wrong by the organization after voting against funding the beds in November.
“We don’t always get it right and I didn’t get it right on that vote, but I appreciate the fact that you delivered beyond even what you committed to us, not 100%, but 110%.”
While the vote from council was unanimous, some council members did express some concerns about the city’s homelessness response.
Ward 4 Coun. Susan Stevenson repeated a long-time concern of hers – the concentration of homeless services in Old East Village, which her ward encompasses.
“There is no place for them to go. And there are no services everything is full, and we have hundreds of people in Old East Village hanging out hoping that there’s going to be a space for them,” Stevenson said. “We cannot just keep wandering around telling people that yes, they’re unsafe and the neighbourhood’s unsafe, and we’re working on a plan for one day. We need something now.”
The one-time funding request, along with the committee recommendation, goes to the next Council meeting on May 14.
A proposal put forward by Ward 6 Coun. Sam Trosow to provide a $130,000 funding extension for Safe Space London was referred to the next SPPC meeting on May 28.
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